PhD Studentship: Modelling Compact Binaries for Gravitational Wave Astronomy

Compact binaries, consisting of pairs of black holes or neutron stars, are extremely powerful sources of gravitational radiation. Vital information on the physics that drives the coalescence of these binaries is directly encoded in the gravitational-wave signal. By decoding this information, we can obtain crucial knowledge on the origin and evolution of astrophysical black holes and neutron stars throughout the Universe. Our ability to extract this information requires developing new and increasingly sophisticated theoretical models for the gravitational-wave signal. This PhD project will aim to tackle key questions in gravitational-wave astronomy and fundamental physics. Research topics include: the analytical modelling of gravitational dynamics and radiation, numerical relativity simulations of compact binaries, acceleration techniques for gravitational-wave data analysis, testing fundamental physics in the strong-field regime, modelling neutron star mergers, and exploring our understanding of the neutron star equation of state. The PhD Student will be strongly encouraged to join the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and be given the opportunity to work directly with gravitational-wave data and to play a role in the gravitational-wave discoveries made by the LIGO detector. Please contact g.pratten[at]bham.ac.uk for further questions.

For more information on postgraduate research at the University of Birmingham please visit https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research for details on eligibility and entrance requirements.

Funding

The funding source is the Royal Society through my Royal Society University Research Fellowship and the funding would provide 100% cover for tuition fees at a domestic rate and a stipend at a nationally mandated rate of £16,062 per year.

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